Method and system for dynamic cell configuration

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for adapting hyper cells in response to changing conditions of a cellular network is disclosed. During operation, the apparatus collects data regarding network conditions of the cellular network. In accordance with the collected network condition data, the apparatus changes an association of a transmit point from a second cell ID of a second hyper cell to a first cell ID of a first hyper cell. Virtual data channels, broadcast common control channel and virtual dedicated control channel, transmit point optimization, UE-centric channel sounding and measurement, and single frequency network synchronization are also disclosed.

More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S.Pat. No. 8,838,119 issued Sep. 16, 2014; the present application is anapplication for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,838,119, and is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/261,269 filed Sep.9, 2016, which also is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No.8,838,119; the present application also is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/995,803 filed Jun. 4, 2018, Ser. No. 15/996,238filed Jun. 1, 2018, Ser. No. 16/000,228 filed Jun. 1, 2018, Ser. No.15/996,239 filed Jun. 1, 2018, Ser. No. 15/996,067 filed Jun. 1, 2018,Ser. No. 15/997,230 filed Jun. 4, 2018, Ser. No. 15/997,280 filed Jun.4, 2018, Ser. No. 15/997,317 filed Jun. 4, 2018, Ser. No. 15/996,118filed Jun. 1, 2018, Ser. No. 15/996,242 filed Jun. 1, 2018, and Ser. No.15/996,228 filed Jun. 5, 2018, all of which are applications for reissueof U.S. Pat. No. 8,838,119 and continuations of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/261,269, which also is an application for reissue of U.S.Pat. No. 8,838,119.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This disclosure is generally related to improving performance ofcellular networks. More specifically, this disclosure is related to amethod and system for dynamically generating and adapting hyper cells inresponse to network conditions. Various embodiments are also related toselecting optimal transmit points for virtual channels.

2. Related Art

In traditional cellular networks, the location of each transmit point iscarefully planned. Each transmit point creates a cell and is assigned aunique cell identifier (ID) to define the control channel and datachannel so that simultaneous transmit point to user equipment (UE)communications can be supported for each cell. A single cell serves eachUE, and the network maintains the association between the cell and theUE until handover is triggered.

As the demand on mobile broadband increases, networks are deployed moredensely and heterogeneously with a greater number of base stations.Cells become smaller and a corresponding greater number of cell edgesare created. Cell ID assignment becomes more difficult and the frequencyof handovers increases as the UE moves between cells. Further, thedensity of the cells creates much interference between neighboringcells.

In one approach, LTE Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) scenario 4 specifiesthat one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) share a same cell ID as amacro cell to which the RRHs are connected. However, LTE CoMP scenario 4(available at http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/36819.htm) onlyallows fixed sharing of a single cell ID between a macro cell and allRRHs controlled by it. There is handover and changing of the cell IDwhen the user moves away from the macro cell and the connected RRHs.Such an approach is insufficient for addressing the problems ofinterference, complex cell ID assignment, and frequent handovers.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for adaptinghyper cells in response to changing conditions of a cellular network.During operation, the system collects data regarding network conditionsof the cellular network; in accordance with the collected data,determines that a transmit point is to be added to a first hyper cell,wherein the first hyper cell includes at least one transmit pointassociated with a first cell identifier (ID); and changes an associationof the transmit point from a second cell ID to the first cell ID,wherein at least one transmit point of a second hyper cell is associatedwith the second cell ID.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system fortransmitting virtual channels in a cellular network. The system includesa virtual channel transmission mechanism configured to select one ormore transmit points from a set of transmit points to transmit a virtualdedicated control channel and/or a virtual data channel to a servicedUE, wherein the one or more transmit points share a common cell ID; andwherein one or more transmission schemes of the virtual data channel andvirtual dedicated control channel, including scrambling, pilot design,and/or pilot sequence and location, are created in accordance with a UEID.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method fortransmitting virtual channels in a cellular network. The method includesselecting one or more transmit points from a set of transmit points totransmit a virtual dedicated control channel and/or a virtual datachannel to a serviced user equipment (UE), wherein the one or moretransmit points share a common cell ID; and wherein one or moretransmission schemes of the virtual data channel and virtual dedicatedcontrol channel, including scrambling, pilot design, and/or pilotsequence and location, are created in accordance with a UE ID.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method foradapting hyper cells in response to changing conditions of a cellularnetwork. The method includes collecting data regarding networkconditions of the cellular network; in accordance with the collecteddata, determining that a transmit point is to be added to a first hypercell, wherein the first hyper cell includes at least one transmit pointassociated with a first cell ID; and changing an association of thetransmit point from a second cell ID to the first cell ID, wherein atleast one transmit point of a second hyper cell is associated with thesecond cell ID.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary CRAN communication system from whichhyper cells may be generated, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates two hyper cells with a shared transmit point, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 presents a diagram illustrating an example of how to create hypercells in a CRAN cluster, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 presents a diagram of an example hyper cell with multiple virtualdata channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 presents a diagram illustrating an exemplary downlink (DL)control channel design, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 each present a flow chart illustrating a process ofselecting transmit points for a virtual data channel and/or a virtualdedicated control channel, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary computing system for enabling dynamichyper cell configuration, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same figureelements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the embodiments, and is provided in the contextof a particular application and its requirements. Various modificationsto the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied toother embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present invention is notlimited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Overview

Embodiments of the present invention solve the problems of excessiveinterference and management overhead in cellular networks by introducingthe concept of “hyper cell” and dynamically managing hyper cells toeliminate cell edge UEs and optimally selecting transmit points for UEs.A hyper cell is a virtual entity for dynamical coordination of data andcontrol signaling transmission. It is a logic cell and the coverage ofthe hyper cell can change depending on the hyper cell's association tothe physical transmit point(s). From the perspective of network, a hypercell includes a group of transmit points which have relatively stronginterference and are connected via high capacity backhaul. From theperspective of a UE, a hyper cell is an area covered by a virtual accessentity.

A dynamic cell configuration system disassociates the concept of cellIDs from the physical topology of the cellular network, whichfacilitates greater flexibility and efficiency in network management. Bybreaking the bind between the cell ID and the physical transmitter, thesystem can generate hyper cells that include multiple transmit pointshaving the same cell ID. The system adapts the hyper cells according tonetwork topology, load distribution, and UE distribution. This reducesthe frequency of handovers and amount of interference. The system canalso share transmit points between multiple hyper cells by switching thetransmit point between the hyper cells. This hyper cell configurationreduces the number of cell edge UEs, reduces interference, and improvesthe UE transition between hyper cells. The system can further selectoptimal transmit points within the hyper cells to boost the capacity ofvirtual channels. In addition, the virtual control channels and virtualdata channel can be de-coupled for optimal performance.

Network Environment

A cloud radio access network (CRAN) cluster consolidates all basicprocessing power of a cellular network. The CRAN manages a group oftransmit points that are connected together with a high-speed backhaulnetwork. A CRAN central processing unit performs the processing for themultiple transmit points. This brings the network intelligence into thecloud, leaving only the radios and antennas at the transmission site. Bycentralizing all the active electronics of multiple cell sites at onelocation, the operating costs are minimized.

In one embodiment, in a CRAN cluster, a supernode generates a hyper cellby assigning the same cell ID to one or more transmit point(s) whichhave the strongest mutual inter-cell interference. The supernode mayestimate inter-cell interference based on UE reports or the measurementat transmit points. A supernode can be a base station, computingstation, or controller configured to generate and manage hyper cells.The supernode can manage baseband signal processing of all transmitpoints controlled by the supernode. In some implementations, thesupernode can also be responsible for only part of signal processing,depending on backhaul capability.

The cell ID is a logical assignment to all physical transmit points ofthe hyper cell. The hyper cell may be dynamically configured. Unliketraditional cellular networks, there is no fixed one-to-one mappingrelation between a transmit point and a cell ID. The area served by thehyper cell is amorphous and the system dynamically adds/removes transmitpoints to/from the hyper cell.

In one embodiment, the system supports overlapped hyper cells where atransmit point can be logically associated with different hyper cells.For the transmitters that are physically located at the boundary ofhyper cells, logically the network associates the transmit point withdifferent hyper cells at different points in time, frequency, or space.The hyper cells may share the resources of the transmit point. A sharedtransmit point can reduce interference for UEs located at the boundarybetween the two sharing hyper cells. UEs that are located near theboundaries of two hyper cells experience less handovers because theshared transmit point is associated with either hyper cell at differenttimes, frequencies or spatial directions. Further, as a UE moves betweenthe two hyper cells, the transition is a smoother experience for theuser. In one embodiment, the network changes the cell ID of the transmitpoint to transition a user moving between hyper cells.

Embodiments of the present invention also facilitate virtual channelswhich allow for greater scheduling flexibility, increased data andcontrol channel capacity, energy savings, and improved mobilitymanagement. Subsequent sections of this disclosure discuss five aspectsof virtual channels and/or hyper cells in greater detail. These fiveaspects are: virtual data channels, broadcast common control channel andvirtual dedicated control channel, transmit point optimization,UE-centric channel sounding and measurement, and single frequencynetwork (SFN) synchronization. The virtual data channel, broadcastcommon control channel, virtual dedicated control channel, and/orsynchronization channel can also be implemented separate from the hypercells.

In one embodiment, the supernode is a part of a system that manages allaspects of hyper cells and virtual channels. The system can also includea hyper transceiver to enable joint scheduling and joint transmissionfor a hyper cell. Each hyper cell supports a single centralized dataplane and a single centralized control plane. In one embodiment, a CRANsubcluster supernode or CRAN cluster supernode generates the virtualdata channels, broadcast common control channel and virtual dedicatedcontrol channels of the hyper cell.

CRAN Communication System

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary CRAN communication system 100 fromwhich hyper cells may be generated, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. Generally, the system 100 enables multiplewireless users to transmit and receive data and other content. Thesystem 100 may implement one or more channel access methods, such ascode division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access(TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA(OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Although FIG. 1A illustratesan example architecture for hyper cells, embodiments of the inventionare not limited to a particular architecture. Other networkarchitectures for hyper cells are also possible. For example, anynetwork architecture where transmit points in the network are controlledby one or more supernodes with centralized signal processing capabilitycan also work with hyper cells.

In this example, communication system 100 includes user equipment (UE)110a-110c, transmit points 130a-130b, two access units 170a-170b, a corenetwork 132, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, theInternet 150, and other networks 160. While certain numbers of thesecomponents or elements are shown in FIG. 1A, any number of thesecomponents or elements may be included in the system 100.

The UEs 110a-110c are configured to operate and/or communicate in thesystem 100. For example, the UEs 110a-110c are configured to transmitand/or receive wireless signals. Each UE 110a-110c represents anysuitable end user device and may include such devices (or may bereferred to) as a user device, wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU),mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, pager, cellulartelephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop,computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronics device.

Access units 170a, 170b can each be a base station controllingtransmitters or a controller controlling multiple base stations. A basestation can control multiple transmitters. Transmit points 130a, 130bcan be any type of transmitter. The transmitters can be, for example,mobile-relay station, base station transmitter, pico transmitter, orfemto transmitter. The transmitters can be remote radio heads (RRHs) insome implementations. The transmit points can also be base stationscontrolled by a controller. In some embodiments, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) technology may be employed having multipletransceivers for each cell.

Each access unit 170a-170b is configured to wirelessly interface withone or more of the UEs 110a-110c to enable access to the core network132, the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and/or the other networks 160. Invarious embodiments, the access units 170a-170b (or transmit points130a, 130b) may also include (or be) one or more of several well-knowndevices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NodeB), anevolved NodeB (eNodeB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, a site controller,an access point (AP), or a wireless router. One or more Node-B may becontrolled by radio network controllers.

In an embodiment, CRAN systems can include a base station or acentralized node controlling one or more RRHs. Base stations canimplement MAC/PHY and antenna array system (AAS) functionality. Eachbase station operates to transmit and/or receive wireless signals withina particular geographic region or area. For example, access units170a-170b can be base stations and, through remote radio heads, maycommunicate with one or more of the UEs 110a-110c over one or more airinterfaces using wireless communication links. The air interfaces mayutilize any suitable radio access technology.

A RRH contains the radio frequency circuitry plusanalog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converters and up/down converters.The RRHs are located between a base station and the UEs, and areconnected to a base station using optical fiber or any othercommunication line. The RRHs receive and convert digital signals toanalog, then amplifies the power and sends the radio frequency signals.

It is contemplated that the system 100 may use multiple channel accessfunctionality, including such schemes as described above. In particularembodiments, the base stations and UEs implement LTE, LTE-A, and/orLTE-B. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocolsmay be utilized.

Each of the access units 170a, 170b are in communication with the corenetwork 132 to provide the UEs 110a-110c with voice, data, application,Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or other services. The access unitsand/or the core network 132 may be in direct or indirect communicationwith one or more other access units (not shown). The core network 132may also serve as a gateway access for other networks (such as PSTN 140,Internet 150, and other networks 160). In addition, some or all of theUEs 110a-110c may include functionality for communicating with differentwireless networks over different wireless links using different wirelesstechnologies and/or protocols.

Each of the example transmit points 130a-130b, or any combination of theillustrated transmit points, may be assigned a common cell ID and form ahyper cell. Hyper cells are discussed in greater detail with respect toFIG. 1B.

Although FIG. 1A illustrates one example of a CRAN communication system100 from which hyper cells may be generated, various changes may be madeto FIG. 1A. For example, CRAN communication system 100 could include anynumber of UEs, base stations, supernodes, networks, or other componentsin any suitable configuration. Also, the techniques described herein canbe used in any other suitable system.

Hyper Cell Examples

FIG. 1B illustrates two hyper cells with a shared transmit point, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Hyper cells 182,184 each includes many transmit points that are assigned the samelogical cell ID. For example, hyper cell 182 includes transmit points186, 187, 188, 189, 190, and 192. Transmit points 190, 192 communicateswith UE 194. Transmit point 196 is assigned to hyper cells 182, 184 atdifferent times, frequencies or spatial directions and the systemswitches the logical cell ID for transmit point 196 between the twohyper cells. In one embodiment, a system dynamically updates the hypercell topology to adapt to changes in network topology, loaddistribution, and/or UE distribution. The system may include a datacollector to collect data regarding network conditions of the cellularnetwork. If the concentration of UEs increases in one region, the systemmay dynamically expand the hyper cell to include transmit points nearthe higher concentration of UEs. For example, the system may expandhyper cell 182 to include other transmit points if the concentration ofUEs located at the edge of the hyper cell increases above a certainthreshold. As another example, the system may expand hyper cell 182 toinclude a greater concentration of UEs located between two hyper cells.Also, if the traffic load increases significantly at one region, thesystem may also expand the hyper cell to include transmit points nearthe increased traffic load. For example, if the traffic load of aportion of the network exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system maychange the cell IDs of one or more transmit points that are transmittingto the impacted portion of the cellular network.

Further, the system may change the cell ID associated with transmitpoint 196 from the cell ID of hyper cell 182 to the cell ID of hypercell 184. In one implementation, the system can change the associationof a transmit point with different hyper cells every 1 millisecond. Withsuch a flexible cell formation mechanism, all UEs can be served by thebest transmit points so that virtually there are no cell edge UEs.

In one embodiment, the system may also save power by turning off silenttransmit points (e.g., any transmit point other than transmit points190, 192) if there are no UEs to service for those silent transmitpoints. The system can also save power by turning off transmit pointsaccording to some criteria (e.g., turn off those that are serving lessthan a threshold number of UEs).

FIG. 2 presents a diagram illustrating an example of how to create hypercells in a CRAN cluster, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. A CRAN cluster 202 includes a number of individual cells,such as cell 204. Without hyper cells, the CRAN network can only assigneach transmit point a unique cell ID to form the individual cells. Tocreate a hyper cell, the system assigns a common cell ID to all thecells of the CRAN cluster that form the hyper cell. In one embodiment,the network may create multiple hyper cells within a CRAN cluster. Eachhyper cell has a unique cell ID.

FIG. 2 also illustrates exemplary optimal transmit points forfacilitating a virtual data channel and virtual dedicated controlchannel for UE 206. The three transmit points 208, 210, and 212 areoptimally situated to transmit the virtual channels to UE 206. The threetransmit points form a virtual transmit point. The system candynamically combine multiple physical transmitters to form a virtualtransmit point. From the perspective of a UE, the virtual transmitpoints appear to be a single transmitter. The system can create manyvirtual transmit points for a hyper cell and coordinate theirtransmissions. The system can dynamically change the physicaltransmitters that make up the hyper cell. Determining optimal transmitpoints is further discussed with respect to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

Virtual Data Channels

FIG. 3 presents a diagram of an example hyper cell with multiple virtualdata channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The system can support multiple parallel data channels withina single hyper cell, each serving a different UE. In other words, eachvirtual data channel is UE-specific. The hyper cell may have multipledifferent physical transmit points transmitting to create the virtualdata channels. The actual physical transmit points of the virtual datachannels are also UE-specific and are transparent to each UE. A UEdistinguishes virtual data channel signals by examining the UE IDassociated with each transmission. The data transmission schemes,including data scrambling, pilot design, and pilot sequence andlocation, are all created in accordance with the UE ID.

As the UEs move to different locations, the system dynamically assignsdifferent physical transmit points to service the UEs. The physicaltransmit points form the virtual data channels for the respectiveserviced UEs. Note that the cell ID transmitted from the differentphysical transmit points belonging to the same hyper cell remains thesame. As illustrated in FIG. 3, an example hyper cell 300 has threevirtual data channels, one for each UE. Three transmit points 302, 304,306 provide a virtual data channel for UE 307, two transmit points 302,304 provide a virtual data channel for UE 309, and two transmit points308, 310 provide a virtual data channel for UE 311. Transmit points 312,314 are silent and may be turned off to save energy. The descriptionassociated with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 discusses additional details ofvarious embodiments for optimally selecting transmit points.

In one embodiment, with the CRAN framework, the supernode controls thegeneration of the virtual data channels based on load balancing and UEdistribution within a CRAN cluster. A CRAN cluster can support multipleparallel virtual data channels.

Broadcast Common Control Channel/Virtual Dedicated Control Channel

FIG. 4 presents a diagram illustrating an exemplary downlink (DL)control channel design, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The system provides for a broadcast common control channeland a virtual dedicated control channel. A broadcast common controlchannel 402 carries common system configuration information transmittedby all or partial transmit points sharing the same cell ID. Every UE candecode information from the broadcast common control channel 402 inaccordance with a common reference signal (CRS). The CRS sequence andlocation are tied to the cell ID of the hyper cell.

A virtual dedicated control channel 404 carries UE-specific controlinformation (e.g., DL scheduling, uplink (UL) grant). Each of UEs 406,408 has a subset of transmit points surrounding the UE. The transmitpoints transmit the UE-specific virtual dedicated control channels 410,412. Virtual dedicated control channel 410 is specific to UE 406, andvirtual dedicated control channel 412 is specific to UE 408. In someembodiments, one or more transmission schemes of the virtual datachannel and/or the virtual dedicated control channel, includingscrambling, pilot design, and/or pilot sequence and location, arecreated in accordance with a UE ID. Further, a hyper cell ID can beapplied together with the UE ID to differentiate transmission of thevirtual data channel and/or virtual control channel from different hypercells.

Parallel virtual dedicated control channels can be provided in eachhyper cell. The demodulation of each virtual dedicated control channelis performed in accordance with a UE-specific reference signal (RS), thesequence and location of which are linked to the UE ID. To distinguishthe virtual dedicated control channels communicated from differenthypercells, the sequence of UE-specific RS is covered by a sequencespecific to each hyper cell.

The system may apply transmit point selection techniques and transmitpower control techniques to minimize intra-hyper cell interference andinter-hyper cell interference. The selected transmit points aretransparent to the UEs. In one embodiment, for a UE with a poor Signalto Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), the system can transmit thevirtual dedicated control channel and/or virtual data channel frommultiple transmit points to improve signal quality. In addition, thesystem may apply Transmit Time Interval (TTI) bundling to a fixed orslow moving UE in order to further enhance the capacity of theUE-specific virtual dedicated control channel.

Selecting Transmit Points for Virtual Channels

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 each present a flow chart illustrating a process ofselecting transmit points for a virtual data channel and/or a virtualdedicated control channel, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. A virtual channel transmission mechanism can beconfigured to select one or more transmit points from a set of transmitpoints to transmit a virtual dedicated control channel and/or a virtualdata channel to a serviced UE. For each UE, there are two techniques forselecting the optimal transmit points for the virtual data channel andthe virtual dedicated control channel. The selection processes attemptto maximize the capacity of the UE-specific virtual dedicated controlchannel and virtual data channel. FIG. 5 presents a UE-centric techniquefor selecting the transmit points. FIG. 6 presents a network-centrictechnique for selecting the transmit points. The transmit points for avirtual data channel can be different from the transmit points for avirtual dedicated control channel, for the same UE. The selectedtransmit points are transparent to the UE.

During operation of the technique illustrated in FIG. 5, each of thetransmit points sends a DL sounding reference signal (SRS) (operation502) as a training sequence. In one embodiment, different transmitpoints transmit the DL SRS at different frequencies or at differenttimes. After receiving the DL SRS, the UE measures the signal strengthof each DL SRS (operation 504). The UE reports the measurement resultsto the supernode (operation 506). The supernode generates a table with aUE index and corresponding potential transmit points (operation 508).The supernode selects the best transmit points to all served UEs basedon the table and the status of network load distribution and UEdistribution (operation 510). In one embodiment, the supernode comparesthe reported measurement results to previous DL SRS transmissions todetermine the best transmit points for each of the UEs.

During operation of the technique illustrated in FIG. 6, each transmitpoint detects a UL transmission from a UE within the transmit point'scoverage range. The transmissions may be for any data, including any oneof a sounding channel, control channel and/or data channel data(operation 602). The transmit points measure the strength of the UEsignals. The transmit point may filter UEs with insufficient signalstrength (operation 604). Each transmit point reports measurements ofthe detected UL transmissions to the supernode (operation 606). Thesupernode generates a table with the UE index and correspondingpotential transmit points (operation 608). In one embodiment, thesupernode populates the table with UEs and the strength of signalsreceived by the transmit points. The supernode selects the optimaltransmit points for all served UEs based on the generated table and onthe status of network load and UE distribution (operation 610).

In one embodiment, to maintain the transparency of the transmit pointsin each hyper cell, demodulation of the virtual channels is not tied tothe transmit points. In one implementation, the system uses the UE ID tobootstrap all communications between the UE and the transmit points. Thesystem distinguishes between the transmission signals of different UEswith a UE-centric reference signal. The system uses a UE-centricdemodulation reference signal (DMRS) to decode the virtual dedicateddata channel and the virtual dedicated control channel. The systemdefines the sequence and location of the UE-centric DMRS with the UEindex. The system automatically generates each UE index from arespective UE ID or assigns the UE index. Each UE has a unique UE index.

Each hyper cell is associated with a synchronization channel. All or aportion of transmit points in a hyper cell can transmit thesynchronization channel. In one embodiment, a transmit point belongingto multiple hyper cells does not transmit the synchronization channel.In another embodiment, frequency division multiplexing (FDM), codedivision multiplexing (CDM), or time division multiplexing (TDM) can beapplied to enable synchronization channel transmission for transmitpoints associated with multiple hyper cells.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary computing system for enabling dynamichyper cell configuration, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In one embodiment, a computing and communicationsystem 700 includes a processor 702, a memory 704, and a storage device706. Storage device 706 stores a dynamic hyper cell configurationapplication 708, as well as other applications, such as applications 710and 712. During operation, application 708 is loaded from storage device706 into memory 704 and then executed by processor 702. While executingthe program, processor 702 performs the aforementioned functions.Computing and communication system 700 is coupled to an optional display714, keyboard 716, and pointing device 718.

The data structures and code described in this detailed description aretypically stored on a machine-readable storage medium, which may be anydevice or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computingsystem. The machine-readable storage medium includes, but is not limitedto, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic and optical storagedevices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs(digital versatile discs or digital video discs), or other media capableof storing machine-readable media now known or later developed.

The methods and processes described in the detailed description sectioncan be embodied as code and/or data, which can be stored in amachine-readable storage medium as described above. When a computingsystem reads and executes the code and/or data stored on themachine-readable storage medium, the computing system performs themethods and processes embodied as data structures and code and storedwithin the machine-readable storage medium.

Furthermore, methods and processes described herein can be included inhardware modules or apparatus. These modules or apparatus may include,but are not limited to, an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a dedicated orshared processor that executes a particular software module or a pieceof code at a particular time, and/or other programmable-logic devicesnow known or later developed. When the hardware modules or apparatus areactivated, they perform the methods and processes included within them.Such modules or apparatuses may form part of base stations or supernodemachines that manage and enable hyper cells and/or virtual channels orother various features described herein.

An embodiment method for adapting hyper cells in response to changingconditions of a cellular network comprises collecting data regardingnetwork conditions of the cellular network; in accordance with thecollected data, determining that a transmit point is to be added to afirst hyper cell, wherein the first hyper cell includes at least onetransmit point associated with a first cell identifier (ID); andchanging an association of the transmit point from a second cell ID tothe first cell ID, wherein at least one transmit point of a second hypercell is associated with the second cell ID.

Optionally, in the embodiment method, the network conditions includeload distribution, and the method further comprises determining that atraffic load of a portion of the cellular network exceeds apredetermined threshold; and changing cell IDs of one or more transmitpoints transmitting to the portion of the cellular network.

Optionally, in the embodiment method, the network conditions include UEdistribution across the network, and the method further comprisesdetermining that a concentration of user equipments (UEs) serviced bythe cellular network at a boundary of the first hyper cell is above apredetermined threshold; and changing cell IDs of one or more transmitpoints to the cell ID of the first hyper cell, wherein the one or moretransmit points transmit to the boundary of the first hyper cell.

Optionally, the embodiment method further comprises determining that asecond transmit point serves less than a threshold number of UEs; andturning off the second transmit point in response to determining thatthe second transmit point is serving less than the threshold number ofUEs.

An embodiment apparatus for adapting hyper cells in response to changingconditions of a cellular network comprises at least one collectorconfigured to collect data regarding network conditions of the cellularnetwork; at least one processing unit configured to: determine that atransmit point is to be added to a first hyper cell in accordance withthe collected data, wherein the first hyper cell includes at least onetransmit point associated with a first cell identifier (ID); and changean association of the transmit point from a second cell ID to the firstcell ID, wherein at least one transmit point of a second hyper cell isassociated with the second cell ID.

Optionally, in the embodiment apparatus, the network conditions includeload distribution, and the at least one processing unit is configured todetermine that a traffic load of a portion of the cellular networkexceeds a predetermined threshold; and change cell IDs of one or moretransmit points transmitting to the portion of the cellular network.

Optionally, in the embodiment apparatus the network conditions includeuser equipment (UE) distribution across the network, and the at leastone processing unit is configured to determine that a concentration ofUEs serviced by the cellular network at a boundary of the first hypercell is above a predetermined threshold; and change cell IDs of one ormore transmit points to the cell ID of the first hyper cell, wherein theone or more transmit points transmit to the boundary of the first hypercell.

Optionally, in the embodiment apparatus the at least one processing unitis configured to determine that a second transmit point serves less thana threshold number of UEs; and turn off the second transmit point inresponse to determining that the second transmit point is serving lessthan the threshold number of UEs.

Optionally, in the embodiment apparatus the apparatus is a base stationcontrolling one or more remote radio heads and the base station isadapted to dynamically change one or more cell identifier (ID) inresponse to changing network conditions, wherein the base station isconnected to each of the one or more remote radio heads via acommunication line; the one or more remote radio heads are adapted toreceive and transmit radio frequency signals; the base station includesa data collector configured to collect data regarding network conditionsof the cellular network; and the base station includes at least oneprocessing unit configured to determine that a transmit point is to beadded to a first hyper cell in accordance with the collected data,wherein the first hyper cell includes at least one transmit pointassociated with a first cell ID; and change an association of thetransmit point from a second cell ID to the first cell ID, wherein atleast one transmit point of a second hyper cell is associated with thesecond cell ID, and wherein the transmit point is a remote radio head.

Although the present invention has been described with reference tospecific features and embodiments thereof, it is evident that variousmodifications and combinations can be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The specification anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated tocover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalentsthat fall within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for adapting hyper cells in response tochanging conditions of a cellular network, the method comprising:collecting data regarding network conditions of the cellular network,the cellular network utilizing a wireless protocol; in accordance withthe collected data, determining that a first transmit point associatedwith a second hyper cell utilizing the wireless protocol is to be addedto a first hyper cell utilizing the wireless protocol, wherein the firsthyper cell includes at least one transmit point associated with a firstcell identifier (ID); and changing an association of the first transmitpoint from a second cell ID to the first cell ID, wherein at least onetransmit point of the second hyper cell is associated with the secondcell ID.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network conditionsinclude load distribution, and wherein the method further comprises:determining that a traffic load of a portion of the cellular networkexceeds a predetermined threshold; and changing cell IDs of one or moretransmit points transmitting to the portion of the cellular network. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the network conditions include UEdistribution across the network, and wherein the method furthercomprises: determining that a concentration of user equipments (UEs)serviced by the cellular network at a boundary of the first hyper cellis above a predetermined threshold; and changing cell IDs of one or moretransmit points to the cell ID of the first hyper cell, wherein the oneor more transmit points transmit to the boundary of the first hypercell.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that asecond transmit point serves less than a threshold number of UEs; andturning off the second transmit point in response to determining thatthe second transmit point is serving less than the threshold number ofUEs.
 5. An apparatus for adapting hyper cells in response to changingconditions of a cellular network, the apparatus comprising: at least onecollector configured to collect data regarding network conditions of thecellular network, the cellular network configured to utilize a wirelessprotocol; at least one processing unit configured to: determine that afirst transmit point associated with a second hyper cell utilizing thewireless protocol is to be added to a first hyper cell utilizing thewireless protocol in accordance with the collected data, wherein thefirst hyper cell includes at least one transmit point associated with afirst cell identifier (ID); and change an association of the firsttransmit point from a second cell ID to the first cell ID, wherein atleast one transmit point of the second hyper cell is associated with thesecond cell ID.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the networkconditions include load distribution, and the at least one processingunit is configured to: determine that a traffic load of a portion of thecellular network exceeds a predetermined threshold; and change cell IDsof one or more transmit points transmitting to the portion of thecellular network.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the networkconditions include user equipment (UE) distribution across the network,and the at least one processing unit is configured to: determine that aconcentration of UEs serviced by the cellular network at a boundary ofthe first hyper cell is above a predetermined threshold; and change cellIDs of one or more transmit points to the cell ID of the first hypercell, wherein the one or more transmit points transmit to the boundaryof the first hyper cell.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the atleast one processing unit is configured to: determine that a secondtransmit point serves less than a threshold number of UEs; and turn offthe second transmit point in response to determining that the secondtransmit point is serving less than the threshold number of UEs.
 9. Anapparatus for adapting hyper cells in response to changing conditions ofa cellular network, the apparatus comprising: at least one collectorconfigured to collect data regarding network conditions of the cellularnetwork; at least one processing unit configured to: determine that atransmit point is to be added to a first hyper cell in accordance withthe collected data, wherein the first hyper cell includes at least onetransmit point associated with a first cell identifier (ID); and changean association of the transmit point from a second cell ID to the firstcell ID, wherein at least one transmit point of a second hyper cell isassociated with the second cell ID, wherein the apparatus is a basestation controlling one or more remote radio heads and wherein the basestation is adapted to dynamically change one or more cell identifier(ID) in response to changing network conditions, wherein: the basestation is connected to each of the one or more remote radio heads via acommunication line; and the one or more remote radio heads are adaptedto receive and transmit radio frequency signals, and wherein thetransmit point is a remote radio head.
 10. A network system, comprising:a base station associated with a first hyper cell and a second hypercell, wherein the first hyper cell comprises a first plurality of basestations including the base station and sharing a first cell identifier(ID), and the second hyper cell comprises a second plurality of basestations including the base station and sharing a second cell ID, thebase station associated with the first hyper cell and the second hypercell configured to: transmit a first synchronization channel associatedwith the first hyper cell in the first hyper cell to a first userequipment (UE); and transmit a second synchronization channel associatedwith the second hyper cell in the second hyper cell to a second UE, thefirst synchronization channel associated with the first hyper cell andthe second synchronization channel associated with the second hyper cellbeing carried in a single frequency network by applying frequencydivision multiplexing (FDM).
 11. The network system of claim 10, whereinthe base station is located in an overlapped coverage area of the firsthyper cell and the second hyper cell.
 12. The network system of claim10, wherein the base station is assigned to the first hyper cell and thesecond hyper cell at different times, frequencies, or spatialdirections.
 13. The network system of claim 10, wherein a resource ofthe base station is shared by the first hyper cell and the second hypercell.
 14. The network system of claim 10, wherein the first cell ID isunique to the first hyper cell, and the second cell ID is unique to thesecond hyper cell.
 15. A method, comprising: transmitting, by a basestation in a network system, a first synchronization channel associatedwith a first hyper cell in the first hyper cell to a first userequipment (UE), the base station associated with the first hyper celland a second hyper cell, wherein the first hyper cell comprises a firstplurality of base stations including the base station and sharing afirst cell identifier (ID), and the second hyper cell comprises a secondplurality of base stations including the base station and sharing asecond cell ID; and transmitting, by the base station, a secondsynchronization channel associated with the second hyper cell in thesecond hyper cell to a second UE, the first synchronization channelassociated with the first hyper cell and the second synchronizationchannel associated with the second hyper cell being carried in a singlefrequency network by applying frequency division multiplexing (FDM). 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the base station is located in anoverlapped coverage area of the first hyper cell and the second hypercell.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the base station is assignedto the first hyper cell and the second hyper cell at different times,frequencies, or spatial directions.
 18. The method of claim 15, whereina resource of the base station is shared by the first hyper cell and thesecond hyper cell.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first cell IDis unique to the first hyper cell, and the second cell ID is unique tothe second hyper cell.
 20. A base station that is one of a firstplurality of base stations of a first hyper cell and is one of a secondplurality of base stations of a second hyper cell, the base stationcomprising: at least one processor, wherein the at least one processoris configured to: transmit a first synchronization channel associatedwith a the first hyper cell in the first hyper cell to a first userequipment (UE); and transmit a second synchronization channel associatedwith the second hyper cell in the second hyper cell to a second UE, thefirst synchronization channel associated with the first hyper cell andthe second synchronization channel associated with the second hyper cellbeing carried in a single frequency network by applying frequencydivision multiplexing (FDM), wherein the base station shares a firstcell identifier (ID) with other base stations of the first plurality ofbase stations, and wherein the base station shares a second cell ID withother base stations of the second plurality of base stations.
 21. Thebase station of claim 20, wherein the base station is located in anoverlapped coverage area of the first hyper cell and the second hypercell.
 22. The base station of claim 20, wherein the base station isassigned to the first hyper cell and the second hyper cell at differenttimes, frequencies, or spatial directions.
 23. The base station of claim20, wherein a resource of the base station is shared by the first hypercell and the second hyper cell.
 24. The base station of claim 20,wherein the first cell ID is unique to the first hyper cell, and thesecond cell ID is unique to the second hyper cell.
 25. A method,comprising: receiving, by an apparatus from a base station in a networksystem, a first synchronization channel associated with a first hypercell in the first hyper cell, the base station associated with the firsthyper cell and a second hyper cell, wherein the first hyper cellcomprises a first plurality of base stations including the base stationand sharing a first cell identifier (ID), and the second hyper cellcomprises a second plurality of base stations including the base stationand sharing a second cell ID; and receiving, by the apparatus from thebase station, a second synchronization channel associated with thesecond hyper cell in the second hyper cell, the first synchronizationchannel associated with the first hyper cell and the secondsynchronization channel associated with the second hyper cell beingcarried in a single frequency network by applying frequency divisionmultiplexing (FDM).
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the base stationis located in an overlapped coverage area of the first hyper cell andthe second hyper cell.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the basestation is assigned to the first hyper cell and the second hyper cell atdifferent times, frequencies, or spatial directions.
 28. The method ofclaim 25, wherein a resource of the base station is shared by the firsthyper cell and the second hyper cell.
 29. The method of claim 25,wherein the first cell ID is unique to the first hyper cell, and thesecond cell ID is unique to the second hyper cell.
 30. An apparatus thatis in a first hyper cell including a first plurality of base stationsand in a second hyper cell including a second plurality of basestations, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor, wherein theat least one processor is configured to: receive, from a base station ina network system, a first synchronization channel associated with thefirst hyper cell in the first hyper cell; and receive, from the basestation, a second synchronization channel associated with the secondhyper cell in the second hyper cell, the first synchronization channelassociated with the first hyper cell and the second synchronizationchannel associated with the second hyper cell being carried in a singlefrequency network by applying frequency division multiplexing (FDM),wherein the first plurality of base stations includes the base station,wherein the second plurality of base stations includes the base station,wherein the base station shares a first cell identifier (ID) with otherbase stations of the first plurality of base stations, and wherein thebase station shares a second cell ID with other base stations of thesecond plurality of base stations.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30,wherein the base station is located in an overlapped coverage area ofthe first hyper cell and the second hyper cell.
 32. The apparatus ofclaim 30, wherein the base station is assigned to the first hyper celland the second hyper cell at different times, frequencies, or spatialdirections.
 33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein a resource of thebase station is shared by the first hyper cell and the second hypercell.
 34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first cell ID is uniqueto the first hyper cell, and the second cell ID is unique to the secondhyper cell.